Can opener



\ April 1941- F. E. FENDER 2, 7,

CAN OPENER Filed July 15, 1939 #Zwm,

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 CAN OPENER FerdinandE. Fender, Evanston, Ill., assignor to Vaughan Novelty Mfg. Co.Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 15, 1939, Serial No. 284,682

1 Claim. (C ao-22) This invention relates to an improvement in a can opener and more particularly to improvements designed to facilitate the operation thereof and to increase the safety with which the can opener may be used.

Users of can openers of the bayonet type have encountered danger in theme thereof due to' the fact that the resistance of the can top to the bayonet blade tends to force the blade out of the can and if sufficient pressure is applied to the can opener handle to overcome-the tendency of the blade to be forced from the can, theblade tends to complete the out and due to the pressure to leap from the can and toward the hand with which the operator is holding the can. It

is the purpose of my invention to provide a projection upon the can opener blade that will retain the blade within the can and prevent the blade point from escaping from the can during the operation and also to provide an improved' fulcrum member which will prevent the blade from being forced rearward out of the can during the cutting operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide these improvements in a can opener which can '1.

be readily and cheaply constructed.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved can opener of the familiar bayonet type with an integral'lug upon the blade which,

in addition to serving to retain the blade within r1 0 the can during the cutting operation, also serves to space the cutting edge of the blade from the bead of the can in order to prevent the blade from biting into the can bead.

A further object of my invention is to provide 1' the can opener with an improved fulcrum which 7 will readily bite into the can bead and prevent any backward motion of the can opener during the cutting operation.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities of my invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire can opener showing the safety lug stamped from the blade and showing the improved fulcrum mem-- ber;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the can opener with only a. fragment of the handle shown;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the fulcrum member taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section of the can opener blade;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the can opener with the blade in operating position within the can, which is shown in a fragmentary section;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view 'ofthe can opener blade applied to a can, which is partially shown; and

Fig. 7 is a detail'perspective view of a portion of the can opener blade with, an alternative form.

of safety lug.

Referring to the drawing, the can opener. handle H is shown as formed" of a metal strap bent to form a substantially elongated loop to be grasped by the hand and terminating at the; forward end in two adjacent plates Hand l3, be-

tween whichthe can opener blade I! is securely fixed by the rivets I4. One end of the strap may be continued beyond the'plate I3 to'form the guide member '15 which lies parallel to the can opener blade but'spaced therefrom to guide the can opener blade'along the wall of the can. .Piv-

oted within the handle loop is .a corkscrew. l5,

which forms no part of my invention. Although the handle is shown as a formed metalstrap, it can beymade of other suitablermaterials and in other forms without departing from my inv'ention.

The can openerblade I1 is "stamped "from'a fiat strip of metal. One end of the blade I! isv formed into the shank l8 which lies between the flat plates l2 and I3 and is securely fastened to the handle II by means of the rivets I4. The

other end of the blade is bowed, as best shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and terminates in the point IS. The upper edge 20 of the blade I! is sharpened to improve its cutting action. The blade, as shown, has formed integrall with it the bottle cap remover 22, which forms no part of my invention.

Integral with the blade l1, and intermediate its upperedge 20 and its lower edge 2| and 'located a short distance from the blade point I9 is .a lug '23. ing this lug is shown as stamped from the blade ll. welding or otherwise securing a lug upon the side of the blade, such as the alternative form shown in Fig. 7. It, is essential to my invenupon the blade face at some distance to the rear of the blade point so that the blade will have penetrated the can top to some depth and made In the first six figures of my'draw- This lug may also be suitably formed by a substantial out before the lug is forced into the can. This formation will facilitate the penetration of the can top when the blade is inserted therein and will also providea positive stop to prevent the blade from being lifted out of the can during the cutting operation.

Intermediate the lower edge 2| of the blade I! an ear 25 is stamped vvfrom the blade at right angles thereto. At the forward edge of this ear 25, which forms the contact edge of the fulcrum, is cut a small V-shaped notch 26, whichlies into the inclined position shown in Fig. 6, and the cutting operation repeated.

When the lug 23 encounters the lower surface of the can top 29, or whenever unusual resistance is encountered in the cutting operation, the force applied to the handle H of the can opener tends to force the can opener backward and tends to permit the blade to escape from the can. The

between the guide member l5 and the blade ll as shown in Fig. 2. This notch 26 provides a fulcrum upon which the can opener i operated in cutting the top from a can. J

The operation of the can opener of 'my' invention is as follows:

The can opener blade I! is placed over-the can 1 to be opened with the can opener in substantially vertical position and with the guide member l5 outside thecan and the point 19 against the top of the can-adjacent'th'e pe'rimetral bead, by which the can top is joined tothe can walls.

' A portion of this bead 21 is shown in the fragmentary section of the can 28' in.Figs. 5 and 6. The can top is in'dicatedvby. the numeral 29 and the sidewall by the numeral 30;

The can blade is forced through the; can top v by pressure applied to the handle ll. 'Sufiicient length of the-blade .I I must be .forced into the can so that/the lug 23 is below the top of the can." "Thereuponthe can opener-may be tilted into the position shown in Fig. 6. Whenthe can opener is tiltedrint'o that positionthe upper edge -20: of the blade I! bears against the lower sur- 1 face of the top of the canand the car 25 with the fulcrum notch .26 cut into its contact edge "engages the upper ed'ge'of thebead 21, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.- 'Thefulcrum notch 26 bites into the bead '21 of the can 28 as soon as downward "pressure is applied to the handle II and there- 'upon the upper edge 20 of the blade l1 shears the top 29 of the can.

. Both in puncturing the can and in the cutting operation just described the lug 23 bears against the side wall of the can and spaces the. blade I1. therefrom. When thecan opener is operated by application of downward pressure to the handle I l, the upper edge 24 of the lug 23 encounters the fragment of the can top remaining between movesrthe entire can opener forward along the can'bead. The can opener is then again tilted special form of fulcrum whichlI have devised prevents any backward movement of thecan opener in this manner. The inclined edges of the V- shaped fulcrum notch 26 cut in the flange 25 cut into the bead 21 when pressure is applied tothe can opener handle, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This insures that upon the application of downward pressure to the handle II the can opener will not slide backward along the bead, but will remain in its position relative to the bead and limit the movement of the can opener to a pivotal movement upon the fulcrum.

From-the-ioregoing; it will appear that the blade ll in effect hastwo portions, the puncturing or piercing portion, whichextends from, the pointed end approximately to theposition of the lug 23, and the shearing portionaconstituting the remainder of the blade .ut-ilizedtoshear theiican top ,during. ,the successive rocking movement thereof :in the operation of cutting the top from the can. i a Having thus described my invention, what=l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis: A can opener of the bayonet type having a -'han pile, and a blade secured to said handle and having a continuous utting edge'terminating ina point,

a-portion of the blade adjacent the point-ser ing only as a means to pierce a can top upon initially forcing the blade into the can top,'th'e remaining portion of the bla-de'ser ving primarily asa means to shear the can top upon subsequent successive rocking movement of the blade relative to the can, a member rigid with'said bladeand forming a pivot for such rocking rnovemenhsaid blade having an opening'therein, the metal from said opening being bent sidewardly to form a lug projecting from the side of the blade in the direction of said pivot member and sloping toward the point of the blade, said opening and lug being located near the junction of the shearing portion and the piercing portion of the blade and spaced from the longitudinal edges of the blade,- w'hereb-y. said piercing portion may readily be forced into the can top without being obstructed. materially by said lug, and said lug will serve as a limit stop by engagement with the unsevered portion of the can top to prevent the piercing portion of the blade from being accidentally withdrawn from the can top during the rocking movementof the blade incidental to use of the shearing portion of the blade.

FERDINAND E. FnNnER'. 

